


Read The Bones

by AnotherWriterWhoWrites



Series: 2020 366 Days of Writing [15]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy, Witches, pre-series rowena macleod
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26984119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherWriterWhoWrites/pseuds/AnotherWriterWhoWrites
Summary: Rowena when she was just a struggling single mom trying to make the best of the crappy hand life had dealt her.
Series: 2020 366 Days of Writing [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590919
Kudos: 10
Collections: Supernatural Summergen 2020





	Read The Bones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GiGiS89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiGiS89/gifts).



It was still crying. 

Rowena grabbed the straw filled pillow and dragged it over her head, trying to breathe through her mouth so that she didn’t smell the rotten milk coming from the blankets she was trying to sleep on top of. 

It had felt like she had just fallen into her makeshift cot, hours upon hours of being on her feet and lugging around tray after tray of ale. She was sure that her bum was bruised from all the slaps and pinches she had to ignore and she was down to one last good shirt that wasn’t ripped from being tugged.

She was exhausted and it was still crying.

Feeling near tears herself she finally dragged the pillow away and sat up, taking a deep breath as she stared at the bundle a few feet away. She had wrapped it and placed it on the thickest blanket to prevent the cold of the wood. That had to mean something, it had to show that she was trying, right?

She didn’t even have the strength to get up, she had to crawl along the dust and splinters, her threadbare gown hiking up and the wood scraping at her skin. She reached out for the bundle and grabbed at it, dragging it over to her.

It whimpered, staring up at her. Its eyes were turning more and more green with each passing day.

More like his eyes.

Rowena closed her and leaned back, hissing when she fell back on her behind. She moved so that she could lean on her legs instead, head pressed against the wall. 

She can’t keep doing this, she can’t keep going. She barely had enough money to rent this barn for the both of them, empty of animals thankfully for the time being but the owner had warned her that come next week she was going to have to leave unless she wanted to share the area with a few cows. 

At least the cows would be quieter than when it's crying. 

She had barely gotten the job working in the pub, she was an unwed mother of a bastard child, one of the least reputable sorts, she was lucky that they didn’t throw rocks at her when she walked through the town. The job was hard and demanding, she wasn’t exactly strong and broad and the pregnancy and the birth had left her weaker than before. 

The men were the worst, the whole lot of them, there were the constant whispers that she’d sleep with any man that so much gave her a smile leading to these men grabbing at her skirts and dresses, yanking her to their laps as their hands slid up.

She couldn’t even slap them, angry drinkers aren't anyone's favorite. It was made worse when the barkeep wouldn’t so much take her side and at times threatened her to lose her job if she tried to do anything. 

So she had to resort to running away, letting them touch her until she saw an opening and ran to the back, the urge to vomit rising in her throat as she tried to control herself enough to get back to serving the drinks and food.

She couldn’t keep doing this, couldn’t keep living like this, wasn’t meant for this.

Her grandmother, the one person that she knew loved her no matter what, had assured her that she had been meant for great things. That the day she had been born her grandmother had slaughtered a goat and torn the liver apart with her bare hands, had read the ridges and burned the bones until they cracked. She had read each and every part of the goat and much to her pleasure she had told her parents that Rowena had been meant for great things, to become more powerful than even her. 

Neither of her parents really listened to her, her grandmother came from the older part of the world, of things already forgotten or forsaken in favor of church and a god that never answered prayers. 

Rowena had believed her and her teachings, the little she had managed to whisper to her under her parents suspicious eyes. Had believed in her visions and her words, and had hoped that they would come true. 

She’s never felt more like a failure, more worthless than she did at this moment, staring down at her biggest mistake as it whimpered and cried up at her. 

Her grandmother had warned her about one thing, not to give her heart to a man, not to allow anyone especially not a powerful man into her mind, lest it would bring her great suffering. 

But she hadn’t listened. She had fallen for him, her Ronald, and had allowed him to take her into his bed, staining it with the blood of her first, and later the blood of birth. 

He had been graceful enough to allow her into his house when she had been giving birth but the moment the babe had left her he had grabbed her by the arm and threw her out. 

His wife had returned that night, and couldn't allow the true grand wife see the mistress that her husband had taken in her absence.

So she had been alone, blood still staining her legs and a crying newborn babe in her arms. Her parents had thrown her out when her stomach had rounded, she was too thin to even hope of hiding it behind baggy clothing, and she had nowhere to go. 

By luck she had managed to find the town she was in, by luck she had found herself a kind enough of a family that was willing to house her and even give her a job. She was in their debt and quite frankly…

She hated being indebted to anyone.

She had a goal, she had an idea. She just needed enough money to gather supplies and be able to get on her way to her grandmother. Despite everything her grandmother would still help her, still love her, she had to. 

She was her last hope for help.  
__________________________________________  
Her grandmother had known she had been coming. She had heard it on the whispers on the wind and the scent of blood that clung to her. 

She hadn’t had time to wash it off, he had grabbed her, had held a knife to her throat, had ripped at her dress front. She had panicked and grabbed the knife and everything moved fast after that but the end result was the man was dead in front of her, she was covered in his blood and a knife in her hand. 

So she just made it worse. She ransacked his pockets and took all the coins he had, kept the knife, and ran to the barn where it was, watched over by the families children. Had grabbed it and everything she had stashed away and ran. Ran until her legs ached and hurt in ways they never had before and yet she pushed on. 

She stopped in two towns over to spend the coin for food and cloth for the both of them and continued on, not having enough for a horse and not willing to spend more coin on an inn. She followed the stone path set out and continued on through the forest and trees until it threatened to choke her. 

She walked until her feet bled and stained her shoes, walked until she could no longer feel the pain, until the pain melted into something she couldn’t feel or name.

It was thankfully quiet, barely crying at times and when it did it quietened just as quickly. 

She felt like a shell once she finally reached her grandmother's cottage, hidden by blood and those same whispers she had told her, the same way she knew her future and her fate. Her clothes might as well be rags and she couldn’t feel her feet anymore.  
“Oh Rowena.” her grandmother clicked her tongue as she looked over her granddaughter. She reached out and took it from her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her inside. “What have you done?”

She couldn’t even speak, she was that tired. Rowena just leaned against her before she placed on a bed, a real, soft bed, and she fell unconscious without even realizing it or having a chance to fight it. 

She wasn’t sure how long she slept but when she woke up the sun was still shining outside and there was a thick blanket covering her. Her head was pounding and her entire body still hurt. Breathing out slowly she moved to sit up, hand coming up to wipe at her face as she looked around the room she was in. There was a basin of water, a strange marking on the wood that glowed and she could see steam coming from the water. 

Standing up on shaking legs she quickly pulled her clothes off, throwing them to the ground, and slid into the water, a pitiful sound escaping her as she was enveloped by the warm water. She just sat there for a few minutes, just letting the water soak into her before she started to wash herself, scrubbing the blood and dirt off of her skin as best as she could. Her feet were throbbing in the water but at the same time the heat helped.

She gathered her hair up and dunked it into the water as well, washing it and pinning it up before she finally stepped out of the basin. Spotting a small pile of clothes on the ground, she quickly pulled them on, more than happy to wear something clean again. There were no shoes, grandmother didn’t believe in them, and she was more than alright with leaving them behind.

Taking a deep breath she left the room she was in and walked out to the main room where her grandmother was currently feeding it. 

“You’ve slept the whole day away and a new one has started.” her grandmother told her. “The wee one has been eating nonstop, I’d take that you are hungry as well.”

Her stomach growled and clenched at her and she nodded rapidly, immediately going to the table and grabbing the loaf of bread, ripping it into pieces and stuffing it into her mouth. There was cheese on the table and various fruits and some meat that her grandmother pushed at her. She sat down at the table and ate her fill, ate until her stomach hurt and still continued, unable to stop. 

Breathing heavily she accepted the cup of tea her grandmother gave her, sipping it and allowed the scolding hot liquid to warm her from the inside. 

It made a few noises in the silence, babbling something and waving its arms in the air. 

“What’s his name?” her grandmother asked. 

“Doesn’t have one.” Rowena told her. “Didn’t want to give it one.”

Her grandmother just hummed at that, sitting in the other chair staring at her. “I had warned you not to give yourself to a man.” she reminded her. “You never listen. Just like your mother, she never listens to me either and now she pays the price.” she shook her head. “All I wanted was what was best for you girls but not you nor her ever listened to me.”

It's not easy for her to apologize. Never has been and she doubts that that will change. 

“If I had known that you were going to give birth I would have started fattening a goat.” her grandmother continued. “At his age I’m going to have to use a bird instead. Don’t get as good a reading from them but it’ll be better than nothing.”

“Don’t read for it.” Rowena said, taking another sip of her tea. “Just...don’t.”

“You can play pretend all you want, no name and no reading but you care enough that you brought him along.” her grandmother told her, reaching for her smoking pike and waving it at her. “But suit yourself, he won’t be the first babe here.”

Rowena took a deep breath, feeling the ache deep in her bones. “I’m tired.”

“No doubt. Stay as long as you want, my home is open to blood.” her grandmother said before standing. “I’m going to capture a bird, pity the only ones around are crows.”

With that her grandmother left, left her with it just feet away. She paid it no attention and just drank her tea, staring at the ground as she tried to figure out what to do. After some time she heard the sound of a knife slamming down onto wood and her grandmother came back, holding the beheaded body of a crow.

She walked it to the counter and took another knife, slicing it open with practiced ease. Rowena watched as her grandmother collected the innards, sniffing each one and opening it with the tip of the blade. She carefully collected each bone, then into a bowl which she then placed over a fire. 

The bones cracked and broke apart, her grandmother frowned as she read each one, taking the bigger pieces out and examining each one, turning it to read it in the sunlight. The smaller bones were grinded down and she used her finger to scoop some up, licking at it. She looked at it and didn’t say anything, taking a feather from the crow and handing it to it. 

“Well?” Rowena couldn’t help but ask. “What do you see?”

“A very interesting, long future.” her grandmother said thoughtfully. “One that, if it comes true, will be very fascinating to see.”

“Anything specific?”

Her grandmother pursed her lips as she watched it. “Not at the moment.” she said slowly, and Rowena didn’t believe her. “But he’s going to be very interesting.”

The next morning she felt strong enough to get up and pack, ready to leave. She had regained enough of her strength to keep moving and she had to, she didn’t want to remain here. Didn’t want to be in the same place as it was. 

“You're leaving.” her grandmother stated, watching her with a raised eyebrow. “You taking the babe with you?”

“No.” Rowena said curtly, tightening the cloth around her neck. “I’ll just be gone a few months, I’ll be back.”

Her grandmother hummed once more, she wasn’t sure if she believed her or just accepted it. 

But she meant it, she was going to be back. She just needed to be able to earn some more coin without it being a stigma on her. 

“If you come back, I’ll teach ya.” her grandmother told her. “Teach ya everything your mam didn’t want you to know but should.”

The forbidden words, the whispers and the readings that her grandmother was able to do. A promise of power that gave life to the older woman. 

She never really knew how old she was after all, nor how long she had lived. 

“Alright.” Rowena said, checking her bag once more before she hoisted it onto her shoulder. “A few months, I’ll be back before the winter comes.”

“You should name him.” her grandmother told her. “Giving the babe a name means to give it a future.”

“You already said that it had a future.” Rowena reminded her. “You read it in the bird.”

“Birds can be deceitful, especially a crows heart.” she told her. “A name is certainty and a promise of life.”

Rowena hesitated, allowing herself to glance back and look at it in her grandmother's arms. It looked more like him every day. 

But she meant what she said, she would return in a few months. Return for her grandmother's teachings and, unfortunately, for it. 

Her grandmother stared at her expectantly. If there is any place she had inherited her stubbornness along with her red hair it was from her. 

She stared at it and it stared back at her. It gurgles a sound and despite herself she felt something uncurling inside of her at the sight of it. 

“Fergus.” she finally said. “His name is Fergus.”

With that she turned and left, walking down the path that seemed to come together for her, heading to town that was half a day's walk away from here.

She’d be back for him, she would. She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and kept walking. 

She just needed some time. Some time to steady her feet, away from him, and then she’d come back.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Supernatural.
> 
> 165/366
> 
> I do take requests so if you have requests you can send them to me.
> 
> This is my submission to the Supernatural Summergen 2020.


End file.
